


Leather-Clad Teddy Bear

by nokoros_homosexual_adventures



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bilingual Shiro (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Domestic Fluff, Explicit Language, Fluff, High School, Hunk runs a bakery, I mean I'm a cellist but I love a viola baby, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Lance (Voltron) plays viola, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Lance highkey loves cuddles, Lance is the best boy what a sweet angel, Light Angst, M/M, Mamasboy!Lance, Minor Hunk/Keith (Voltron), Musician Lance (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Punk!Shiro, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shiro loves classical music, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but in reality? no angst because my babies are sweet beans, i.e shiro the sweetest bean, in this house we love Cuban Lance and Japanese Shiro, maybe eventual smut, you thought this was a story? you thought wrong its just fluff disguised as literature?????
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-13 17:31:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14117367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nokoros_homosexual_adventures/pseuds/nokoros_homosexual_adventures
Summary: Lance McClain is a big mama's boy. Studious, preppy, the go-getter of the family, not to mention he has grades of the Gods and plays classical music with the city orchestra. He was always as perfect as perfect could be... until he met Shiro.Shiro, resident bad boy of Voltron High School, was definitely very, very, VERY hot. Lance fell for him in the first minute of meeting him. He was handsome, and even though he never left his own house without his leather jacket, Lance knew- just by the way he watched him- Shiro wasn't skin deep. Problem was, how could he, perfect, intelligent, and so not Shiro's type, Lance McClain, get himself into his life?On top of that, how could he ever convince his mama Shiro was just a leather-clad teddy bear?- -This work is inspired by the Bad Boy Shiro art by Ashterism on Tumblr!





	1. Mr. Bad Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is the hottest man alive and Lance just wants to eat his lunch. Shiro creeps Lance out a bit, but it's okay, because Lance is a sweetheart. Enjoy!

Lance loved school. School was his bread and butter.

English test tomorrow? No problem, he has study hall for that. Is his chamber performing in a concert next week? Perfect, he just needs time to iron his suit. He was always prepared, always happy, always the most perfect kid anyone could ask for.

Though, for all of Lance's amazing qualities, he had his faults. He just could _not_ deal with his feelings, his heart, none of that mess. Of course, Lance knew high school would make a mess out of his love life and emotions, so he tried to keep that wrapped up.

Only oh, oh holy _fuck_ , Shiro washed that plan right down the drain.

"Woah, hottie at nine-o'-clock." Pidge was looking behind Lance, who turned to face who she was addressing. At the very other end of the lunchroom was a man who was just too far away for Lance to discern.

"You do realize that's a man, right, Pidge? I thought you were gay."

"I am, but I have a brain, and I can tell you _that_ is an attractive man." Pidge waved her sandwich at the figure.

"I've gotta agree with her, Lance." Hunk said.

Lance hummed and turned completely around to see said person better. When he finally did see every inch of his figure, he felt like Squidward, because _oh no, he's hot!_

There, standing maybe fifteen feet away, was what had to be a Greek god- his body sure was built like one. He had long black hair pulled back with a banana clip with a shock of white hair draping all the way over his chin. Lance could tell he was a bad boy, between the long-sleeved leather jacket, ripped jeans, lip and ear piercings, and the eyebrow slit, there was no denying it.

"Woah," Lance muttered.

Hunk laughed, big and sweet. "My thoughts exactly, dude."

"Uhm, yeah, can we not... can we not talk about uh, him?" Lance stammered through his words, turning back in his seat.

"Why, is someone _smitten_?" Pidge teased. Lance's face flushed bright red.

"No! Absolutely not! You both know I'm straight!"

"Uh-huh. With the look you give him, I highly doubt that."

"Okay, can we just not talk about this?!" Lance was getting temperamental. He had always had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't straight, but with his Christian, proudly Spanish household? Anything other than that was not acceptable. He loved his family with all he could, but he was always terrified to be anything other than that.

Hunk smiled. "Actually, I do need something. I have English with Mr. Peterson next class, but I always fall asleep in his class, 'cause food coma. Does Mr. Smarty-Pants have any notes I could borrow?" He batted his eyelashes.

Lance laughed, maybe a little louder than he should have, because he could feel eyes on his back. He ignored them. "If you call me that again, I won't." He rustled through his bag and pulled out a sheet of paper, neatly folded. "There. That should have all the sentence formulas and vocabulary you'll ever need."

Hunk took the note and kissed Lance on his forehead. "Thanks, bud! Time to go cram for the last half of lunch." He took his bag and left for the library- his favorite study place.

Without the distraction that is bubbly, sunny Hunk, Lance could feel those eyes on him again. He shivered.

Pidge smirked. "I think resident sexy punk might be a little unable to control himself." Lance's eyes went wide. He stood up suddenly and sat on Pidge's side. "What's this for?" She asked.

"I have to know where he is! He's creeping me out!" He whispered in a quick voice. "It's scaring me."

"He doesn't look like he's trying to scare you, just oogle you."

He gave her a playful glare. "That makes me feel so much better, thank you, wise Pidge."

"No, seriously! Look at him- he can barely keep his eyes off of you."

Nervously, Lance's eyes raised to meet the man's. It turned out Pidge was completely right. He was keeping a conversation with a girl next to him, but all the while, his eyes would peek over and look at Lance. He sunk into his seat.

"Go talk to him!"

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Lance stage-whispered. He looked up again and the girl he was speaking to was gone. Now he was just leaning against the wall, completely and nonchalantly eyeing him. The man caught Lance looking back at him and smiled something almost devilish, kicking himself off of the wall. 

"Well, it looks like you don't have a choice." The man was walking towards the table, a smile on his face, hands in his pockets.

"Oh no, oh no no no no... Pidge, what am I gonna do?"

"Stay calm, get the sexy man's number, live your life." _Oh no._

It turned out the man towered over the table. He had to be taller than six feet, he was so tall. He sat down on the opposite bench. 

"I do hope I'm not interrupting anything." He said.

Pidge smiled. "Not at all, I was just about to leave." She stood up and made her way to go, sparing Lance a look, who was glaring at her.

"Well then, I'd like to focus on you." His smile turned sweet. "My name's Takashi Shirogane by birth, but everyone calls me Shiro."

Lance let out an inaudible whimper. Shirogane is Japanese. That had to be where the attractiveness ended- he couldn't _possibly_ get hotter.

"I'm L-Lance, Lance, McClain."

His glance softened, letting Lance relax. "I know you. You play with the town's Symphonic Orchestra. I love all the classical instruments, especially the lower strings."

Oh, sweet God. He got hotter.

"Really? Do you play strings?"

"By rule of the old composers, no, but I do play bass guitar."

"Wow, bass guitar? That's cool."

He laughed. "Sure, it's cool, but I think it's amazing to be able to play classical. That's true talent."

Lance smiled shyly. He opened his mouth to say something, but the bell rang before he could.

Shiro sighed. "Well, thank you for talking to me. It's always a pleasure to talk to someone like you." 

Lance's face flushed bright red. He shot up and said something almost in English to Shiro before dashing right out the door. He noticed something was in his hand.

"A paper?" He opened the small slip and read it.

_'832-913-3814. Text me ;)'_

Lance's heart pounded. _I'm so screwed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg,, was this bad? I don't usually write fandom pieces but my heart beats for Shance, so I tried.
> 
> Honestly though? This is just a big fluffy mess. My sweet baby Lance is an amazing boy who can't control his heart and Shiro is the embodiment of loving dad friend. Lance loves Spongebob memes and uses them as a reference for everyday life but he'll never admit it.
> 
> This chapter has no angst! Just fluff because my children deserve it.


	2. Milkshakes and Handsome Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is awkward. Turns out, Shiro is just bean for Lance. Lance struggles with accepting his new-found sexuality, it's weird, there are shakes. Hunk is the best friend evER and always comes to Lance's aid when he needs help. Shiro just really likes the cute boy.
> 
> Enjoy!

Thankfully, Lance made it back to his shared apartment in one piece- which had to be a blessing by God -just in time to smell the amazing aromas of whatever Hunk was cooking.

"Lance! Welcome back!" Hunk beamed. "I'm making dinner and my grandma's cookies."

His eyes lit up. "Cookies...?"

"I thought I would celebrate you getting a soon-to-be boyfriend." Lance's eyes grew. "Pidge told me everything!" He looked giddily happy.

"I have no 'soon-to-be-boyfriend'! Just gimme the cookies. I have to study." Hunk chuckled and handed him a plate, piled with cookies. Lance thanked him and dashed up the stairs, placing his cookies on his desk, and pulled out his textbooks.

"Alright, I have algebra in the morning tomorrow, let's start with that first." He went through his first algebra textbook, flipping along the pages until a small paper slipped out.

"What...?" He read the paper- Shiro's number.

Lance felt guilty for not having texted his number by now. After a moment of wracking his morals, he took out his phone and put in the number.

_Lance: Hey, is this Shiro?_

He waited for a moment for a reply.

_Shiro: The one and only._

_Shiro: You actually texted me? I'm (happily) surprised_

_Lance: Why wouldn't I?_

_Shiro: I just thought I totally creeped you out_

_Lance: Well, you did..._

_Shiro: :(_

_Lance: But! I thought you were sweet, why not return the favor?_

_Shiro: Awe, that's nice of you_

_Shiro: What are you up to?_

_Lance: Studying. I have a big algebra test tomorrow._

_Shiro: Me too. Want to study with me?_

_Lance: Yeah, sure! Where and when?_

_Shiro: What about the diner at five?_

_Lance: Okay! See you then!_

_Shiro: Bye, Lance_

"It's been barely an hour since you got home and you're already on a date with Shiro, huh?" A voice said from behind him.

"OH MY GOD!" Lance jumped in his seat and whipped around to see a crouching Pidge, nonchalantly reading his texts. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"Nothing, just seeing how my new favorite couple is doing."

Lance tried to ignore her comment. "Don't just read my texts over my shoulder!" 

She laughed. "You do it to me all the time."

"Because you're like my little sister, I get to worry about you..."

"Yeah, yeah. You have a date to get ready for, you know." Pidge stood in the doorway. "Be careful, okay? I might be younger than you, but I worry about you, too." 

Lance nodded. _It's not a date._ "Thanks, Pidge." She hummed and closed the door. He sighed. It took a lot for Pidge to admit she actually cared- it just meant she really cared about Lance. He looked at his phone, checking the time.

Lance shot up in his seat. "It's four already?!" He stood in front of his closet and sifted through his clothes.

"I need something to impress Shiro..." _Wait. No._ He shook his head. This was not a date, he didn't need to impress him. Lance decided it was best to wear a simple button up with rolled-up sleeves. No unnecessarily date-like clothing. No unnecessary thinking.

Lance checked the time on his phone. "Shoot, time to go!" He grabbed his textbooks and was downstairs in a flash.

"Where're you going in such a rush?" Hunk asked.

"I'm meeting up with Shiro." Lance put his hand down on the couch, searching for his keys.

"So what Pidge told me is true?"

"If she said 'Lance is studying with Shiro for the algebra test tomorrow and isn't going on a date', then yes." 

Hunk laughed. "Alright. Here are your keys." He tossed them at Lance who caught them clumsily.

"You had my keys?!"

"Uh, yeah. I'm not letting my Lance go on a date with just anyone."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom. I'll see you later." He unlocked his door and walked out, rubbing his temples. _This isn't a date!_

~

Lance saw the back of Shiro's fluffy hair before he saw the man himself. He was seated in the far corner of the diner, the blue neon lights flickering with a pulse like his heartbeat- fast, erratic, and unprepared. On the table were two very aesthetic looking milkshakes.

He sucked in a breath and slowly came behind the booth, tapping him on the shoulder. Shiro turned around, eyes calculating before realizing it was Lance. Shiro smiled, warm and sweet.

"Hey! You made it." Shiro said.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late! My roommate stole my keys." Lance slid into the opposite booth, piling the table with books. 

"Oh, no, don't apologize. I'm glad you're willing to waste time to help me study." Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. Lance smiled sheepishly.

"I don't think it's a waste of time if I'm helping!" Shiro softened at that. "Speaking of helping, here..." Lance pulled out a textbook with many colors of paper sticking out every so often. "All the pink papers are what you need to know by tomorrow, yellow is what you'll need to remember from the last unit, and green is anything I thought was important."

Shiro looked at each slip of paper. "You really go all-in when it comes to school, don't you?"

Lance shrugged. "I wouldn't consider this 'all-in', but sure." 

"Then what is it, laid back?"

Lance hummed, then nodded. "Yes. Laid back."

Shiro burst into laughter. Lance's face burned as bright as the lights above them.

~

Shiro's idea of what studying was didn't seem to be actual studying to Lance.

"You said you're Spanish? Where exactly are you from?"

Lance sighed. "You should actually study, Shiro. This is important." Lance sipped at his shake, staring at his book.

"It's fine, I know this stuff already. Plus, you're more important than algebra could ever be." Lance whined softly in embarrassment. _He's so sweet._

"I'm Cuban." Lance's voice was soft.

"Really?"

"Yeah, my mama and papa were born in Cuba. They married in their early twenties and my mama got pregnant with my older brother, so they saved up all the money they had and moved to California. Then they had my big sister, me, my little brother, and my baby sister."

"That's a big family."

Lance smiled, his nerves melting away. "Never a day of peace in a Cuban household. What about you and your family, Shiro?"

"By heritage, I'm mostly Japanese, since my mom is half and my dad is full. I'm an only child, though. My house was always quiet."

"You don't really seem like the quiet type, though." He stirred at his shake.

Shiro laughed. "Oh, no, I was never in the house. I was always sneaking out to do rebellious teen things."

Lance cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't you a rebellious teen now?"

"Do I seem like one to you?" His voice dropped, making Lance shiver.

". . . No?"

Shiro smiled. "Well, there you go. That's the only opinion that matters to me."

~

The day had become cloudy and rainy by the time they were leaving. 

"Now I wish I had brought a jacket." Lance joked, crossing his arms and shivering from the cold.

Shiro looked at him once and slid off his leather jacket from his shoulders, draping it over Lance. "Here."

He looked at Shiro, who was smiling down at him, hair dripping and sticking to his face. "Are you sure? You'll get cold, too."

He chuckled. "Don't worry about me. Thank you for spending your time with me, Lance." Shiro took Lance's hand and brought it to his mouth, gently kissing the soft skin on the back of it. Pink crept across Lance's face. "Hopefully we'll be able to do this again, maybe with less studying. I'll see you tomorrow, Lance." Shiro waved and turned on his heel, seating himself on a motorcycle just a handful of feet away.

Lance smiled. Bad boy or not, Shiro couldn't hide his compassionate side. He felt a strange feeling in his heart- light, but painful. _Do I have feelings for Shiro?_ Lance shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his head, but it was still there while he drove home. His emotions stirred while he made his way home, and by the time he was at the door of his apartment, lightning clattering the streets, rain pounding into concrete, he had tears running down his face.

Hunk opened the door before Lance could do much further. 

"Lance! How did- Lance?" Hunk inspected Lance completely.

"I- It-" 

"Come inside, you're going to freeze out there. I'll make you some hot chocolate." Lance nodded and stepped inside, putting Shiro's coat on the rack, and sat down, waiting for Hunk. Minutes later, he came back with two mugs to see a much calmer Lance. Hunk sighed.

"Alright, buddy. What's got you all worked up?" Lance whimpered.

"I- I'm not really sure. I mean, I know, but I don't know what to make of it? I, um, I'm worried I'm not straight."

Hunk frowned. "You're worried about not being straight?"

"Yeah. You know my family. I can't be the second oldest guy and be- be _gay_. I'll be the laughing stock of the family. But, on the other hand, I've never really been completely sure I was straight? And now, Shiro's making me feel strange feelings? I just don't know what to do, Hunk."

Hunk inhaled. "Buddy, you don't need to be in your family's best image all the time. You need to put yourself before them, Lance."

"I know that, but I've come all this way already. I've been their little role model for so long now, it just doesn't feel right to ruin that!"

"Lance, look at me." Hunk pulled his face up to make eye contact with him. "You are no one's. You aren't your family's little role model, okay? You're Lance, and you won't stop being Lance if you aren't perfect for them. If you like Shiro, and he's good to you, you should let yourself be with him instead of being afraid of not being straight. And, If I'm being honest with you, I think your family will love anyone who you love, Lance."

Lance's shoulders fell. "You really think so?"

"I do. If anything truly _does_ go wrong, you have me and Pidge. We're right here for you, no matter the circumstance.

Lance beamed. "Thank you, Hunk."

There was a small laugh from the kitchen. "Awe." Pidge stepped out from the kitchen and sat next to Lance, who looked concerned. "Look, Lance, you do whatever makes you happy. As long as I can still steal your notes for history, I'll never stop being your little nosy sister."

Lance sniffed back his tears and pulled both his friends into a hug. "You two are the best."

Maybe even on his rainy days, his friends will have his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has so much going on!!! Lance is just a very colorful person who's been unintentionally boxed by his family that he loves dearly. :'( Lance doesn't want to be a disappointment, but at the same time, he's pushing himself away.
> 
> A/N: I know that season five had some canon characters for Lance's family, but in this story, the family will include Lance's mother's grandparents, his mom Rosa, his father Carlos, his older brother Gabriel, his older sister Rosario, his younger brother Martin, and his very small sister Sofia.


	3. Popcorn and Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's brother really scares the crap out of Lance. Shiro's just trying to flirt- unsuccessfully, because Lance is the romantic equivalent of a brick wall. Keith is super mean because of his own mullet drama, and Hunk spends way too much effort on his parfaits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I realized that the last chapter was a bit unclear. Lance was upset because he thought he could've been developing feelings for Shiro- a guy -which would throw a wrench in his whole family life. He cherishes his family, especially his mother, but no one ever made him feel the way Shiro did, so he's torn between disappointing his family for himself or lying for his family.

The morning was brought into motion with birds and cloudy rays of sun peering through the curtains of the apartment. Lance rubbed the sleep and morning tears from his eyes, rising in his bead.

"Ghn, what time's it?" He pulled his phone close to his face and squinted at the bright screen. _7:48 AM._ Lance groaned and rolled out of bed, clambering downstairs.

"Mornin'." Pidge's voice spoke out over a cup of completely black coffee.

"Morning, gremlin. What are you drinking, tar?"

Pidge looked at her cup and nodded. "Uh, yeah. What do you drink in the mornings?" Lance went into the kitchen and turned on the kettle.

"Normal things. Tea. Hot chocolate." Pidge's nose scrunched up, her glasses glinting.

"Gross." Lance laughed and pulled a mug down from the top shelf.

"Hey, I have something called taste buds, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Lance huffed and shuffled through boxes on the counter. "So, Lance."

"So, Pidge." He echoed.

"You never told me how things went down during your date." Lance's ears flushed and he looked at Pidge.

"You're _still_ going on about Shiro?" 

"You were the one who went out with him."

"To study!"

"Sure, to study. Spill the beans."

Lance sighed, pouring himself a cup of tea. There's no getting through a determined Pidge, and he knew that. "...Okay."

"Describe 'okay'. Like, he's going to murder me, 'okay', or I'm marrying him tomorrow, 'okay'?" 

"Shut up, I am not marrying him."

"So, option two?"

Lance blew out a breath. "I will throw this mug at you, shush!" Pidge smiled innocently. "It went well, alright? He's sweet. Really sweet, and pretty funny. I mean- he's not the _worst_."

"Not the worst sounds like an understatement."

"Drink your tar and leave me alone, munchkin."

~

The schools of high school were always busy- comparable to a stampede, which is why Lance did everything in his power to avoid it. Once the morning bell rang, he took ten seconds at his locker and was at first period in a blink of an eye. Because of this, he was always first in the door. 

"Good morning, Miss Lamine!" Mrs. Lamine, a lady with hair that could pass for a cloud, turned and smiled at Lance. 

"Oh, good morning Lance. Early as usual, I see." 

"I just run on different time." Lance sat on the bench at the very front of the classroom and his teacher laughed. 

"What is today's lesson going to be about?"

"We're studying different writing styles today," Mrs. Lamine continued. "Specifically, more modern styles." 

"Alright, thank you." She nodded, and with the turn of her head, the door to the class opened with a swish. 

"Morning, Miss Lamine." _Wait._ That voice is familiar. 

"Good morning, Shiro!" She chirped. _Wait!_ Lance looked at the door. There, in all his glory- minus the leather jacket -stood Shiro. He glanced around the room, caught Lance's eyes, and smiled.

"Morning to you too." He came next to Lance and sat on a seat near him on the bench. He could see the room filling with people, but he couldn't bring himself to pay attention to that.

"Yeah, morning..." Lance looked down, playing with the folds of leather on his lap. 

"Do you want your jacket back?" Shiro laughed. 

"I don't mind either way." Shiro's voice was warm and soft in such a Shiro fashion. Lance's eyes were glued to his hands. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to _feel?_

"Lance? You alright?" 

"Huh? Oh, yeah, no, I'm fine, I'm good... did you say something?"

Shiro chuckled. "Yeah, I asked if you wanted to come to movie night tonight with me and my brother. We have one every Friday just to hang out and eat popcorn, and I figured that's right up your alley. Want to join in?"

Lance contemplated that. Movie night and popcorn? Hell yes. At Shiro's house? Not so much. "Yeah, sure. How bad can it be?" Lance smiled nervously, looking at Shiro through his eyelashes. 

Shiro smiled back, gentle and kind. "Thanks. I'll be waiting for you when you get there." 

~

"Okay, listen, do you know what doesn't make sense? No, here's the thing. I've never heard of Shiro before, I dunno, three days ago? But now-" Lance shoveled another bite into his mouth. "But now, he's like my daily routine. If he's not right behind me, someone's talking about him. If no one's talking about him, he's talking to me, and I don't know what I did! I don't know why my life is suddenly Shiro's!"

"Lance." 

"Like, I barely knew him? Now I'm- invited to his house? With his friends? For a thing I didn't even know he did?" Lance kept eating bite after bite. 

"Lance." 

"I don't understand! I look at him for half a second across the cafeteria and now it's like we're attached at the hip. I don't know, man. All of the sudden, I'm a hot mess, and I don't know what to do about anything! I don't know and-" 

_"Lance!"_

"What?!" Hunk's hand gently traced across his back.

"You're freaking out. Breathe."

"But-"

" _Breathe._ "

Lance sucked in a breath. "Better?"

Lance shot him a lopsided smile. "A little."

"That's better than nothing. Now," Hunk pulled a stool next to Lance's and sat in front of him. "Will you tell me what made you storm into my bakery and eat my parfaits?" 

"Shiro invited me to movie night at his house."

"And?"

"And, I'm stressed because I feel like everything is going too fast."

"Okay, okay. I get that. If you feel so rushed, you should tell him." Lance laughed.

"What, go up to him and say 'hey, I know you want to be my friend, but can we not?'" Hunk huffed out a breath.

"One, no, that's not what I mean, and two, you think he only wants to be your friend?"

"What else could it be? He's being friendly and hanging out with me often. Plus, no one goes out of their way to date _me_!"

Hunk sighed. "Sure. Look, tell him up front if you feel rushed. He's got no other way of knowing, yeah?"

Lance looked at his feet. "Yeah."

Hunk pats his back. "Okay! That's good. Now, will you stop eating my parfaits? I need those."

~

Lance thought Shiro was only intimidating by his skin, but apparently, his house was, too. The door to his neatly-kept and surprisingly large apartment was huge and adorned with a big gold knocker. _I'm going to die here._ Lance sighed. _Here goes nothing._

Lance hit the knocker against the door once, twice, and the door swung open.

"Who are you, exactly?" A man who looked to be slightly older than Lance with hair he could only describe as a mop said to him.

"Uhm, I'm Lance. Shiro invited me here?" Lance fiddled with the leather jacket- still Shiro's -that was draped over his arm.

"I see. You're his new favorite thing, then." The man chuckled. "Shiro! Your guest is here!" He held the door open for Lance, who stepped inside warily. _New favorite?_

Shiro came down the stairs in sweatpants and a shirt that was probably too tight even for his own standards. When he saw Lance, he beamed.

"Lance! You made it." Lance nodded quickly, tense under the very obvious glare from the mop-headed man behind him. 

"Yeah, of course..." Lance glanced behind him, trying to keep a grip on what he was doing. Shiro took notice.

"Keith, I'd appreciate if you wouldn't scare off my guests before we're done with today," Shiro chided. The man, Keith, shrugged.

"Whatever, just no PDA when I'm around." Lance shifted his weight between his legs uneasily. Keith crossed his arms and walked up the stairs. 

Shiro came to Lance's side and placed a hand on his back. "Sorry about my brother. He gets really snarky whenever I have guests over."

Lance's jaw dropped. "That's your brother?!"

Shiro laughed. "Adoptive brother, not by blood." Lance nodded, if only with mellowed shock. "Here, sit down. I'm making buckets of popcorn right now. There's a pile of movies on the couch, go ahead and choose one." Lance hummed quietly and placed himself next to the stack of CDs. After a good ten minutes of searching about- there was no shortage of movies in this house, apparently -Lance picked out one.

"Hmm, Princess Bride? I would've never guessed." Shiro said from behind the couch.

"My sisters loved the movie. I would watch it with them after dinner and I kind of fell in love with it." Lance said.

"That's adorable." Shiro handed Lance a bowl of popcorn which he gratefully accepted, because- c'mon. Popcorn. "Keith will never admit it, but that's one of his favorites."

"Really?" Shiro nodded.

"I have vivid memories of him making me watch it on repeat for a good ten times once. He insisted it was because I wasn't really appreciating it, but I think he was trying to brainwash me." Lance laughed. Shiro turned back around, leaving Lance happily alone with his popcorn.

"Keith! Come on, we'll start without you!" There was a grumble from upstairs.

"Coming." 

Shiro slid onto the couch next to Lance, stealing a piece of popcorn for himself. "Time to get this show on the road."

~

A good way into the movie, Lance realized he didn't really like this. Keith was staring bullet holes into the side of his neck from the loveseat on the side of the couch. He couldn't be comfortable or even enjoy the movie because of how intense the feeling was.

"Lance?" Shiro whispered. "Are you feeling alright?"

"No, I mean yes, I'm okay, I guess. I'm fine. I'm good." Lance tried to keep watching the movie, staring right at the screen.

Shiro glanced over his shoulder and chuckled softly. "Is Keith threatening to murder you and your family with his eyes?"

"No." Shiro raised his eyebrows. "...Yes."

Shiro sighed and pulled Lance by the waist to be just against his side. "Don't worry about him. I assure you, he's just worried you're going to steal me away from him." Lance couldn't see through the darkness, but he could feel his face burning. "If anyone's going to be doing any stealing, it's going to be me."

~

Lance was either very tired or in a cuddly mood- or maybe both -but somehow, he ended up with his head on Shiro's shoulder, arms tucked between them. Shiro's arms were wrapped around Lance and draped over the couch respectively. Lance would never admit it, but something about Shiro's scent- somewhere between musky and sweet, like lilacs -was comforting. The gentle fingers stroking his hair weren't helping the feeling.

"Lance? Did you fall asleep?" Shiro asked softly.

"Mmno."

"Are you tired?"

"Mmno."

Shiro chuckled. "You sound tired to me."

"Mmnot! The movie isn't finished yet..." Lance rubbed his eyes with curled fists.

"You can watch Princess Bride any time, y'know. You're tired, you should just sleep."

"Okay. G'night." Lance rubbed his face into the warmth below his cheek. Shiro let out a content breath.

"Sleep well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, yes. Fluffy cuddling. This is what I live for.
> 
> This chapter turned out to be a bit of a hot mess? It's more of lots of little snippets of stories more than anything, but I like the idea that Lance gets nervous at the idea of Shiro, but when it comes to real Shiro, he relaxes like that.
> 
> I'm sorry for the Keith lovers, I know, he was mean. Don't worry! He's just worried that Shiro will run away with someone- i.e. Lance -and never come back for him, like his parents. Poor bean. He'll have an arc and lots of comforting, too!


	4. Disasters and Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance struggles with things he hears, Shiro just wants to date Lance already, and Keith is still being mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the endnotes! There's some important information in there. :)

Lance has always been easily homesick. In his youth, he would sleep over at Hunk's house, and he would wake up crying because his missed his mama, who was two doors away. He found he was the same way with his apartment- if he wasn't with his friends, buried under fluffy blankets, he was upset. 

This morning, he woke up in a peaceful state he'd never felt before.

Lance's eye's opened slowly and gently, wincing against the piercing sunlight from a window that didn't exist in his room. _Huh._ His tired brain didn't really care all that much, though, and he closed his eyes and snuggled back into his bed. He got a few more moments of uninterrupted sleep until a voice spoke out next to him.

"Lance...?" He whined and buried his head in his blanket. He assumed it was Hunk, who was waking him up early with food, which sounded enticing, but not as much as sleep.

"Lance, sweetheart, you can't sleep forever. I have to get up at some point." Okay, so that wasn't Hunk. But, at this point, it could be Marie Antionette with her guillotine trying to wake Lance and he still wouldn't be getting up.

"C'mon. I would shove you off of me but you're too precious for that." He grumbled and finally turned to whoever was speaking to him and glared. 

He first saw a pierced lip curled into a smile, a nose with a scar, and big, dark eyes. He then saw the slitted eyebrow and long, black and white hair, and realized, _oh Jesus Christ,_ he was sleeping on Shiro.

Lance shot up in embarrassment, face burning. "Um!"

Shiro chuckled and pushed himself up from his spot beneath Lance. 

"Relax. I didn't kidnap you if that's what you're worried about." Lance laughed nervously. "Alright, you stay right there. I'm making coffee." Shiro stood up stretched his arms.

"Why am _I_ the one staying here?" Shiro padded to the kitchen, yawning.

Shiro gave him a look. "Do you want to get up and make my coffee for me?"

 _Yes._ "No."

Shiro laughed. "Alright, then stay there. Would you like something to drink?"

"Uh, yes, actually. If it's not too much to ask for, can I have some tea?"

Shiro smiled. "You're very polite. It'll be done in a moment."

~

Keith came downstairs after some time moping, from what Lance could assume. He gave a single look to Lance, scrunched his nose, and proceeded to speak to Shiro and _only_ Shiro for the rest of the morning.

"Lance, your tea." Shiro handed him a mug, who gladly accepted it. Lance had decided cold autumn mornings could do with many things, and tea was one of them. He had also decided he could do with less Keith, who was glaring at him and his tea from across the room. 

"Thank you, Shiro."

"Of course. Do you want some coffee, Keith?" Keith grunted something and Shiro just laughed. "Alright. Don't kill Lance before you get some." Lance was sure it was very unlikely Keith wasn't aiming to kill him. Keith's eyes were still trained on Lance's even as Shiro left the room and long after that. Lance sipped his drink and ignored it.

"Do you want to say something to me...?" Lance said softly. Keith hummed.

"Don't even try to date him. You won't succeed and you definitely won't like it."

"What?" Keith sat on the couch next to him.

"You don't know Shiro. I've known him for twelve years. He wasn't always the person you have cuddle sessions with." Lance flushed, bunching his nose in anger. "Haven't you seen his tattoo?"

"What tattoo?"

"Exactly. Do what's best for yourself, Lance, and don't come back here." Keith went back to his own seat and the staring ceased. 

Lance was a resilient guy. When he was little, he would climb the side of his house and stand on the tiled roof, and he didn't even cry when he fell off the side into their bush. He was still like that- except for the falling into bushes part. He had yet to find too many people who really shoved him off the edge, but oh boy, Keith was good at it.

What did he mean, _I won't succeed? I won't like it?_ Shiro isn't a lottery to win, and he's pretty sure in the twelve years Keith has known Shiro, he didn't flirt with him like he did to Lance. There was no way he was some kind of alien to Lance- _Shiro has a tattoo?!_

Shiro came into the room with two steaming mugs. "For the night owl." Shiro handed the mug to Keith, who smiled softly and sipped it from his cup. _Dammit._ Keith's creepy stare was back on his neck again. He couldn't think with him around.

"Hey, Shiro, I've really had a good time here, but I think I need to get going. I have to study for the test on Monday, okay?" Lance smiled nervously at Shiro.

"Of course, go ahead. I'm glad to have you here." Lance nodded and immediately stood up, slipping on his shoes with haste. He turned back around to see Keith had taken his place on the couch, next to Shiro. He scowled.

"Bye, Shiro." He said through gritted teeth.

"I'll see you around, Lance." He smiled at him. Lance opened the door and slammed it behind him, stomping to his car. _What was Keith's problem?!_ He was acting like Lance was having sex with his husband, which he was _not_ , he was having a completely platonic and sweet relationship with his brother. Unless Keith thought it was romantic, which it was still _not_ , but even that didn't make sense. If Keith thought he was Shiro's boyfriend, wouldn't he be happy his brother had a successful love life? Because Lance was a treat, and he should not be getting threats from his brother because he was having completely platonic cuddles with Shiro. All friends do that! Well, no, girl friends do that, and couples do that... no. His point still stands.

His brain was fried. He needed sleep and a break from mophead and Shiro.

~

The morning at school was cold, wind blowing orange leaves in spirals. Lance buried his nose into his scarf.

"Dude, are you alright? You look like a drenched cat," Hunk teased.

"I am a drenched cat inside. Autumn is supposed to be pretty and cute, not cold and dusty." 

"Okay, princess. Get inside, then." Hunk held open the door for Lance, who almost stumbled over his own feet trying to get inside so quickly.

"Thank you, but I am not a princess. The world just has a cold, frostbitten heart from Winter, also known as the worst season to ever season." 

"Sure... princess."

"I will hit you with this book!" Lance lifted a textbook above Hunk's head, laughing at his mock expression of fear.

"Is Hunk finally being rightfully executed for his sins?" Pidge asked, sneaking between the two.

"Apparently, yes."

"Don't you dare side with him, Pidgeon, or you might get an ugly death, too," Lance chimed in.

"Ugly? _Me?_ Unlikely. I'm a hot catch if I do say so myself." Pidge smiled, but her attention was soon drawn somewhere else. "Speaking of hot catches..." _Please don't be Shiro. Please don't be Shiro, I'm not mentally prepared to see him, please don't-_

There he was, standing at his locker, adorned in his token leather jacket and ripped jeans. Shiro.

And who could it be standing right next to him but the mop-on-legs himself, Keith?

"Ooh, that's Lance's new date, isn't it?" Hunk teased.

"You bet it is." Lance's lip twitched in disgust. What was Keith doing with Shiro? He was never, _ever_ with Shiro in the early morning.

"Come on, let's go." 

"Wait, don't you want to talk to him?" Hunk asked.

"Not really." Lance spared one look at Shiro, who, coincidentally, looked back at him with a smile. Lance just turned his head. Hunk and Pidge followed, both exchanging glances.

~

When lunch rolled around, Hunk and Pidge were surprised to find Lance eating outside. Normally, Shiro would pop by Lance's table and ask him to sit by him, but not today, as he wasn't even in the lunchroom.

"I thought you hated the cold." Hunk said, sitting down beside him.

"I guess I got used to it. It's kinda beautiful," Lance murmured.

"As beautiful as the very warm and comfortable lunch room?" Hunk argued.

"Shut up, I'm trying to overcome my biggest fear here."

"Your fear of Shiro?" Pidge asked. Lance glared at her.

"What?"

"Dude, we all know you hate the cold more than your worst sworn enemy, so there is no reason for you to be out here unless you're avoiding something." 

Hunk hummed. "That actually makes more sense than anything. Are you ignoring Shiro, Lance?"

"No! I don't know where you got that assumption, but it's wrong." Pidge gave him a look.

"I can tell you're lying to me."

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, you are, bud," Hunk added.

"I'm not..." Lance looked at his friends. He knew there was no fight to be had with them. "Okay, fine, I'm avoiding Shiro." 

"Why?" Hunk asked, scooting closer to him.

"Uh, you know I went to his house last night, right? Well, Keith, his brother, said some things about him that kind of worried me and now I'm trying to avoid both of them because I need time to think without Shiro or Keith on my shoulder."

"That makes sense. What did Keith say?"

"Something about Shiro not being who he seemed like, and how he knew him better than I ever will, and... a tattoo?" 

Pidge hummed. "That's weird."

"I know! And he kept threatening me to not date him- which I'm not trying to do -because I won't succeed and I won't like it and he's acting around me or something like that," Lance fumbled with the edge of his sweater.

"Okay, that's just downright manipulative. Why would he say that?" Hunk asked.

"I don't know, that's the thing I'm trying to figure out! I just can't do that when they're both on my tail all the time."

Pidge nodded. "Alright, I respect that. We'll keep you separated from those two for the day."

Lance smiled sheepishly. "Thank you."

~

Pidge had to be some kind of secret service agent because she was incredibly stealthy. Without having to disturb Lance's normal schedule in the slightest, she managed to avoid Keith and Shiro for an entire day. Lance brushed his hair back with his fingers and packed his books into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Bye, Hunk, Pidgeon!" Lance waved at his friends who waved back from their lockers. Usually, all three of them would take one of their cars home to their apartment, but Pidge and Hunk were taking Pidge's little Sedan to Hunk's bakery, so Lance was alone.

Lance stepped outside and fumbled with his bag when he felt gentle drops of water falling on his skin.

"Oh no, is it seriously raining? Today?!" Lance shivered in the cold quickly and pushed himself against the wall, shielding himself from the rain. He sighed dejectedly.

"Lance?" He looked around for the voice who called him. Who was that, Hunk? He couldn't tell at this point- the rain was coming down in curtains, sounding like gunshots. "Thank god it's you, I was looking everywhere for you."

Lance turned around. There, in the pouring rain, was Shiro. Again. Lance felt some strange feeling bubble up inside of him. 

"Well, I wasn't looking for you," Lance snapped back. _Shit, I snapped at him!_

Shiro hummed in displeasure. "I know. You've been ignoring me all day, Lance." He took a step closer to the wall. 

"What's been going on?" Lance felt his shoulders drop. His voice was now soft and inviting, so different from what he had expected.

"I..." Lance looked away from him.

"I want to know why you aren't speaking to me, but you don't have to tell me. I'm not going to pry you for anything." Shiro's words seemed to back off, getting more gentle. Lance melted under his voice.

"I... I don't really know. It's just, Keith said some things about you? They confused me and I didn't know how to handle it, so I just tried to push you away." Lance felt his face getting hot. Now that he said it out loud, he really was acting irrationally. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that to you, I just got overwhelmed by it all, and-" Lance choked on his words and his vision got blurrier and blurrier until he was crying.

"Hey, don't cry about that. It's okay, I understand, don't blame yourself." Lance found himself wrapped in two strong arms, planted against Shiro's chest again- _again_ , though he wasn't complaining -and closed his eyes.

"Is that better?" Lance nodded. "That's good. Alright, now how about we dry you off and talk this out?" Lance nodded again and buried his face deeper into Shiro's chest. Something about his presence was soothing and made Lance relax in seconds. 

"Thank you, Shiro."

~

Lance was wearing Shiro's jacket once again when they were met with the door to his shared apartment with Keith. The 'with Keith' bit hit Lance last and it set him on edge. There was no one he wanted to see less than him. Shiro seemed to notice his discomfort.

"If you're worried about Keith, relax. He doesn't come back until real late tonight because he's got a job." Lance nodded and Shiro opened the door for him.

"Ladies first!" Lance glared at Shiro playfully, who laughed, closing the door behind him.

"Alright, come with me." Shiro put a hand on his back and led him upstairs to a room with a large gray bed decorated with plush blankets. "I'm going to grab you some towels, so go ahead and sit on my bed. Don't worry about the water, it isn't going to hurt anyone." Shiro smiled at him and left the room, leaving Lance with the time to inspect his room.

Shiro's room didn't have any extraordinary features, but more subtle ones. On his dresser was a smiling band of people including Shiro, all holding various instruments. Another had a picture of what he assumed was a younger and much cuter Keith, pulling at the shirt of a much younger Shiro, who's hair was uniform and had no scar. Lance hummed in interest- he'd have to ask Shiro about that.

"I'm back." Shiro smiled at him, standing over the edge of the bed and draping a towel over Lance. 

"Thanks..."

"Sure thing. Catching a cold has got to be bad for someone as cute as you, no?" Lance flushed red and mumbled something inaudible. There was a beat of silence before Shiro pulled himself back on the bed, leaning against the wall.

"Alright, if you're okay with it, I want to hear the full story about what's been happening today, Lance."

"I'm okay with telling you, it's just..." Lance fidgeted with the towel draped on his lap. Is he really in the position to possibly hurt a relationship between Keith and Shiro? The _brothers_ Keith and Shiro?

"It's just...?" No. Keith went behind Shiro's back and insulted Lance. Shiro deserved to know the Keith Lance knew.

"Nothing, I'll tell you. If I'm being honest, it was Keith that had me in a frizz. Not that I'm blaming him!" Shiro's lip downturned at the mention of his brother's name.

"No, it's alright. He can be hotheaded and a bit rude sometimes. What did he do?"

"Well, he didn't technically do anything, he just said some... stuff. He said I wasn't 'ideal' or whatever that means, and that I shouldn't trust you...?" Shiro's frown turned full on angry. Lance whimpered- he should've known this was going to be a mess. 

"I'm going to have a serious talk with Keith after this." Shiro readjusted himself to be closer to Lance, facing him from only a foot away. "First off, that's absolute crap. You don't need to be ideal anything, Lance, but even so, you're perfect on your own, alright?" Shiro slipped a hand over his cheek and stroked his cheekbone with his thumb. Why he felt the need to comfort Lance over such a small thing was beyond him, but he would be lying if he said he couldn't just live in the palm of Shiro's hand. 

"And second off, he said you shouldn't trust me?" Lance nodded. "Well, do you?"

"Uh, yes?"

Shiro looked at him, deadpan. "So not really."

"No, I do... I mean, I don't think you're some kind of psycho who's after my head or anything, I just realized I don't know anything about you. Keith mentioned you have a tattoo? I didn't even know that."

Shiro smiled. "Well then, how about we fix that? I'll share anything you want to know." Lance's heart fluttered at that. One, Shiro wanted Lance to feel comfortable and familar with him, and two, Shiro was offering up vulnerable parts to him? That's the best case scenario. 

"No, actually, let's start with the tattoo." Shiro straightened his back and began pulling off his shirt and Lance's eyes grew wide. _Oh sweet Jesus, Shiro is stripping._ Lance's eyes went anywhere but on Shiro.

"Look, Lance. Right here." Lance forced himself to look to where Shiro was pointing on the left side of his torso right beneath the beginning of his v-line. There, in the crevice right between the hem of his pants and his ribs, was a small, coiled dragon, about the size of his fist. The mouth was wrapped around the tail end and around the edges were some sort of Latin letters.

"What does the Latin mean?" Lance asked curiously, innocently trailing his finger around the words. 

"'Your heart will pick your greatest enemy and greatest love as the same person'. To simplify, your biggest fault will be who you love."

"That's... kind of sad," Lance admitted. Shiro hummed.

"I like the thought of it, y'know? Your heart chooses the person who could hurt you and the person you're most vulnerable to all in one fell swoop." Lance nodded and lifted his hand from ringing around Shiro's skin. He smiled and sat back against the wall, not bothering with putting on the shirt that was well discarded somewhere in his room.

"Well, since I promised you I would, ask anything you want, and I'll answer honestly." Lance smiled and nodded- anything he wanted to know. Lance thought for a moment, and a question popped into his head.

"Why do you dress like some kind of rebel? I know you're just a big softie, so why the look?" Shiro gave him a teasing frown.

"What, do my looks not fool you?" Lance laughed.

"Never!"

"I'll never be able to fool you. But, honestly, if you want to know, it's a long story. I'd get comfortable..." Shiro raised his arm, gesturing for Lance to come next to him, smiling ever so innocently. Lance blushed softly and nervously crawled into his arms. 

"I don't know why you insist on cuddling with me." Shiro just laughed.

"Shush, you asked for my story." Lance tried to huff out a protest but stayed quiet. "Well, if I'm being honest, this look wasn't just for the aesthetic at one point. Somewhere between seventh and maybe my freshman year, I really was a punk. Seriously. I got my tattoo, I pierced probably way too many body parts, I stole my dad's motorcycle to take on insane joy rides."

Lance looked at him. "Really? You don't seem like the rebel type..."

"No, I wasn't, but in early seventh grade, I came out to my parents as bisexual. Believe me, my parents are sweet people and love me just as much as I love them, but they're both very conservative people and didn't like the idea that their prized son wasn't straight."

"Oh, Shiro..."

He chuckled. "Don't pity me, I came out fine, but I really took it out on them. That's when I started my band, actually, the one I'm still playing with. I'd sneak out of the house when I was supposed to be studying and we'd all play in a little garage at one of our houses. But the thing about sneaking out of your home all the time is it really took a toll on me. The idea that I was just living my life being a disappointment kind of tore me apart from the inside out. So, in the later semester of freshman year, I cleaned up my act and talked to my parents. They accepted me completely and I decided to reintegrate myself into their lives."

Lance laughed softly. "Even when you're being a rebel, you're just a teddy bear, aren't you? You were so worried for your parents the entire time."

Shiro nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I was never fit for that whole life... I just kept the look because I think it looks cool." Lance smiled.

"That's the only reason?"

"Pretty much."

Lance burst out into uninterrupted, loud laughter. "You're such a dork." Shiro frowned and playfully nudged at Lance's shoulder.

"I thought this was an intimate moment..." Lance's laughter died down and he smiled at Shiro.

"Of course it is. You shared a bit of yourself with me, and I'm glad you trust me enough to do that." Shiro's expression turned gentle and soft.

"You really are so sweet." Lance hummed happily and buried his face into Shiro's shoulder, letting out an uninvited yawn. 

"Tired?" Shiro asked, stroking Lance's hair.

"Mm, apparently. I could do with some sleep." 

"Sleep here, then. Your apartment is so far away and we've already done it, so what harm is there in doing it again?" Shiro asked, voice soft. Lance nodded.

"That's fine, I just wanna sleep." Shiro smiled triumphantly and pulled Lance into his arms, slipping underneath the sheets on his bed, wrapping them around himself and Lance, pulling his arms around him.

"Goodnight, Lance."

"G'night."

Shiro tucked his head into Lance's hair, breathing deeply. He was already getting so far with Lance, his head was spinning. Lance gently shifted underneath his chin and made a happy sound.

His head was spinning, his heart was pounding, but he was alright, because right here, right against his chest, was the object of his desires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little 3rd person Shiro's POV at the end, anyone? I might do a chapter from Shiro's eyes.
> 
> This is more self-indulgent fluff. If you thought I was writing a book, you were wrong. I'm writing so much fluff. 
> 
> You know what? Sometimes I can't beliEVE the Lance I write. Shiro openly flirts with him and cares for him and he's like 'Ah, yes. The obvious signs of friendship- cuddling, flirting, and probably sex?'  
> Shiro's ramped up the courting of Lance a lot, though! Since movie night and lots of cuddles, Shiro thinks he really got a crack in Lance's resolve to not like him, and he'll take any chance he can get.
> 
> Keith fans, please don't hit me with rocks! I know I said he's going to improve, but he hasn't come to that stage yet. He's trying to deter Lance really really really hard because of his fear that Shiro is going to disappear- but where does that fear come from? Hm.
> 
> Another thing I need to elaborate on- yes, these high schoolers live in dorms. My concept for this is that the school everyone attends is a specialized one to further those in specific fields- like college, but less focused on careers and more on the basics they need to know for their topics. They have dorms and apartments because the school is more elite and has its own campus since most people don't live near the school anyways.


	5. Tiramisu and Bluebells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is Valentine's Day. For Shiro, that means opportunity, but for Lance, Valentine's Day isn't all roses and chocolate.

For little Lance, Sundays meant church. They meant prayers, ice cream, and performances with his orchestra. They meant sunshine, they meant peace.

Lance had found that translated into his life in high school.

Now, Sundays meant work at the bakery. They meant coffee, puffy pastries, and pretty decorations, but it never stopped feeling like a true Sunday.

"Lance, can you take the cash register? Shay is clocking out," Hunk asked from the bakery. Lance happily agreed- the register was his second favorite part of the bakery, just behind eating Hunk's parfaits. He hummed about as he smoothed out his blue apron, placing his broom against the wall. He let his mind wander before the familiar chime of the bakery doorbell rang.

Lance turned to the door, putting himself before the register. "Hey! Welcome to the Garrett Bakery, how can I help you?" In reply, he got a soft chuckle.

"I didn't know Lance McClain himself worked at my favorite bakery." Lance scrunched his eyebrows and locked eyes with the voice. _Of course, who else could it be but Shiro?_

"Shiro!" Lance beamed. "I'm glad you love the bakery."

"This bakery is dumb..." _Oh, great, and Keith._ Shiro hummed disapprovingly. Lance just ignored the comment.

"Alright, what can I get you two for?"

Shiro smiled warmly. "One tiramisu and a latte."

Keith grumbled. "A slice of black forest for him." Lance stifled a laugh at Keith's glare.

"Sure thing. Sit wherever, your order will be out in just a moment." Shiro thanked him and Lance went to work, busying himself around the bakery. Hunk poked his head out not four minutes later.

"Hey, bossman!" Lance said, fishing out the cakes from the display case.

Hunk shot him a big, sunny smile- in Hunk fashion. "Who's the cake for?"

Lance nodded his head towards Shiro and Keith, who were sitting in peaceful silence across from them. Hunk's smile turned devious.

"Hmm, Mophead and Mr. Hottie?" Lance sputtered, trying to resent Hunk's words. "Oh, you know it's true. Now go, go! I won't be having bad service in my cafe."

Lance shot Hunk a glare- returned with a knowing smile- and pulled the cakes onto his hands. Lance shook his head and put on his best megawatt smile and strode over to the table.

"Here you two go." Shiro thanked him, Keith grumbling something inaudible. "Is there anything else you need?"

Shiro's lips swept into a smile, something between devious and sweet. "No, thank you." Right before Lance could turn around, Shiro stopped him. "Ah, but, I _would_ like you to take this." Between his hands slipped a small, white envelope, trimmed in gold. Lance hid his confusion, opting instead for a smile, before retreating to the kitchen.

"So, Shiro, huh?"

"No! No Shiro. Nothing Shiro, alright?"

"Uh-huh. Like I believe that." Lance huffed in defiance. Hunk stripped his gloves and leaned onto the counter. "You say that every single time you like someone. Plus, he's totally smitten with you."

"Okay, one, I do _not_ , and two, he is _not_!"

"Sure. Well, all I'm saying is you have the week off for Valentine's Day. Spend your time wisely." Hunk winked.

Lance beamed- a whole week off? He could make do with that. "Thanks, Hunk!"

"Of course, but my generosity only extends so far. You still have a shift to do."

Lance straightened his back and threw his arm into a salute. "Yes, sir!"

~

Lance's high school was what can only be described as extra for holidays. Last Christmas, they hired an actor to play Santa and ho-ho-ho down the halls. Valentine's Day was no different. Hearts in every shade of red and pink were all across the floors and walls, big ribbons hanging in bows along lockers. Teachers wore wings and held heart-shaped bows- which he found ridiculous, but what do you do?

Other than the intense holiday obsession his school had, he really did enjoy Valentine's Day. He knew it was a _little_ stupid and he'd heard the 'Valentine's Day is a corporate holiday' shtick, but he honest to God liked the day. When he was little, his papa took his mama on romantic getaways and she always came back with the most wonderful stories. He always wanted that; to be swept away by the love of his life and take a trip for Valentine's Day.

Lance took bouncy strides around the school, beaming. Hunk caught him at his locker, practically buzzing.

"Woah, dude. Did you eat some bees or something?" Lance grinned and shook his head.

"No, no. Today is Valentine's Day! Aren't you excited?!"

Hunk smiled nervously. "Nah, not really. I mean, no one likes me, so it isn't so special for me." Lance huffed and glanced behind him at the lockers on the other side of the hall. He smiled.

"You sure about that?" Lance nodded his head across the hall where Keith was virtually burning holes in Hunk's neck, not unlike how he was with Lance, but with an additional flushed face. _Apparently, mophead isn't very good at showing affection._

Hunk's eyes fell to the ground. "Oh, uh..." Lance laughed- embarrassed Hunk was a rare sight.

Lance beamed, bright and big, stepping away from his locker. "Happy Valentine's Day, big guy!" He turned on his heel and hummed his way to his first period.

He popped through the door as the classroom slowly filled with babbling students. He looked at his seat in the very front, empty and unaccompanied. His eyes drifted to the third row where Shiro sat, paging through a book. Lance smiled- maybe today could be his day.

He walked up the stairs in the aisle and slid into the seat next to Shiro. He kept flitting through his book before Lance bent over the table into his line of sight. Shiro's eyes fluttered open in surprise.

Lance shot him a soft laugh. "Happy Valentine's Day, Shiro!" Shiro's eyes relaxed and his face slid into a grin. He placed his book on the table in favor of Lance.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you, too."

~

Along with Church, Lance remembered something else about his childhood. Contrary to anything he'd expect, he was very popular among the girls. Maybe it was his blue eyes or delicate freckles or his toothy grin, but Valentine's Day always involved lots of chocolate. As he grew up, though, shyness from high expectations began to seep into his personality, and though his popularity did not stop completely, it did dwindle. Maybe it was because his eyes had settled into a softer blue-green or his freckles got darker and more prominent or he smiled with no teeth, but now Valentine's Day involved maybe a little less chocolate. That had never dampened his spirits, though, because he still got a good bit of attention anyway.

This year seemed to be different, though- the cap of his beauty.

He stood beside Shiro for most of the day; whether he wanted to or Shiro did, keeping him almost glued to his hip. Because of that, he noticed just how much the girls liked him. Just between walking to period one from period two, he had been pulled aside to be asked out no less than six times, and that wasn't even including the towers of chocolates and flowers he had piled into his locker. Lance, on the other hand... well, Lance was mostly left to stand and wait for Shiro. He wouldn't like to admit it, but that took a real blow to his confidence.

Shiro seemed to notice how Lance shrunk ever so slightly when he talked to a new girl, or how his voice softened for every box of chocolate. His brows furrowed- that didn't leave a good taste in his mouth. Lance had _just_ been talking his ear off about how much he loved Valentine's Day.

Before either of them could speak a moment more, Lance was standing in front of the orchestra classroom, and Shiro had to walk on. He bid Shiro a short goodbye and stepped in the door. If he couldn't do anything else, he could play his stress out.

~

When the final bell of the day rang, Lance stretched out his legs and stood, sauntering out the door to his locker. He tried to ignore everything but the books in his locker and putting them in his backpack. Though, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but feel a swirling, aching feeling in his gut when he turned around and saw Shiro decorated in beautiful girls, all draped across him. He scowled. He didn't know if he wished he was Shiro or if he wished he was those girls, but he knew one thing- all of _that_ made the feeling in his gut flame up into his heart. Lance bit his lip and turned away, walking down the hallway with his shoulders hunched.

He walked to the bus stop slowly- Hunk had taken his car for his own purposes -focusing on his strides more to ignore his muddled thoughts. He wished he didn't have to be so _jealous_. Why couldn't he be happy for Shiro?

Lance checked his watch. It was three forty-six, meaning he missed the first bus. He sighed and slumped onto the bench- he'd just have to wait another hour for the next one as the clouds began to gray and the sky fell dark. _Could this day get any worse?_

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance caught someone running to him. Turning his head, he realized that- armed in his leather jacket -it was Shiro.

"Lance!" He rose from his seat as Shiro came no farther than a foot away from him, panting. "I was looking for you."

Lance hummed something akin to distaste and crossed his arms. "You've been doing a lot of that lately."

Shiro shot him his famous sheepish smile, hand wrapping around the back of his neck. "Yeah, I really have... well, this time I've got a good reason."

"That is...?"

"Well," Shiro shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I know it's only been, what, a few months since we met, but it feels like it's been years. I really enjoy being with you, and I hope you feel the same way. I know Valentine's Day is special to you, so... would you spend it with me?" Shiro smiled. Lance found a bouquet of purple heliotrope and white gardenias shoved in his face.

Lance looked at Shiro, then at the flowers, then at Shiro. Lance laughed. "God, you're such a dork."

Shiro chuckled. "Is that a yes?" The joining, knotting tension and anger seemed to seep right out of him.

Lance took the bouquet in gentle hands and nodded. "Yeah, I think it is."

~

It turned out Shiro was definitely a man of the future. He had planned their day up and down, from motorcycle rides downtown, to the beach, to what Shiro claimed to be 'the best Italian of anywhere, ever'. Lance definitely agreed with that.

"That was _the_ best risotto I have had in my life," Lance exclaimed, hands still clutching the bouquet as his legs carried him down the street.

Shiro chuckled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." Lance gave him a warm smile, burying his nose in the flowers for what had to be the fifth time that night.

Shiro huffed out a soft breath. "Do you like the flowers, too?"

Lance nodded. "I think I've liked this entire night."

Shiro hummed. "I'm glad. I thought I was too late when I caught you at the bus stop, honestly."

"Too late?"

"Yeah. I thought someone would've taken my chance to ask you out."

Lance brushed away the 'ask you out' portion of that sentence in favor of his shock. "You were worried about _me_ being taken?"

"No, really! Lance, you're stunning, and there is a zero to none chance I was ever the first person to notice." Lance kicked at dust and followed the tendrils of dirt with his eyes.

"No, no. That isn't true."

"Don't be humble. It's _very_ true to the point that I worried I wasn't fast enough." Lance laughed awkwardly over the small shivers flushing his body. In Lance's silence, Shiro continued.

"Your personality is just as striking, too, Lance. I went after you for how beautiful you were, and you turned up kinder than you were invigoratingly pretty."

The prickling sensation all rushed to his cheeks. "That's coming from you, Shiro. You had girls begging to even walk with you all day today."

"True." His eyes followed the shying silhouette Lance held. "It truly is a shame. I've never had an eye for that type."

Lance's eyes crawled from Shiro's feet to his eyes. "That type...?"

"Yeah. I'm more akin to someone a bit like you."

Lance breathed deep to settle his fluttering heart. A peaceful silence settled over them like snow. Lance broke it with a question.

"So... Shiro?"

"Yeah?"

"What- What does this make us?"

Shiro's face seemed warm in the slowly paling light. "Anything you want."

"What if I wanted to be with you...?"

"I'd be flattered, firstly, and compelled to agree." Lance opened his mouth, but before he could say a single word, Shiro's arm was held out, pointing to something. "I believe this is your house."

Lance looked at the familiar wooden door and same concrete steps and nodded, somewhere between a lingering sadness and extreme joy. "Oh, yes, it is." He fumbled with his keys and opened the door. Before he could leave, there was a gentle hand on his face, a thumb tracing his cheekbone, and a "goodnight Lance, sweet dreams" somewhere in the air.

Soon, he was in the comfort of his own room. Carding through fluffy curls and running over soft skin, Lance began to believe there was no cap to his beauty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOYS!!!!!!! FLUFF!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!! It only took me 40000 years to write... haha... I hope you enjoyed! Writer's block kicked me in the butt for this chapter.
> 
> I feel like everything is slowing down in this book now- motion coming to rest. Now all that's left is a little more pain...


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